For those of you in the Twin Cities area:
Bell Museum of Natural History Upcoming Events

Through October 4, 2009
Exhibit – America’s Best Idea: A Photographic Journey Through Our National Parks
Take-your-breath-away photos of America’s national parks by famed photographer Stan Jorstad.

Thursday, October 1, 2009, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Exhibit Walkabout – Exploring Our National Parks
Join local experts on how each national park captures the essence of its geographic location.

Thursday, October 1, 2009, 10 to 11 a.m.
Family Program – Wolves: A Howling Good Time
Two- and three-year-olds and their families can practice howling like a wolf, make wolf prints and handle a real wolf skull.

Saturday, October 3, 2009, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Field Trip – Migrant Birds in the Minnesota River Valley
Saturday, October 3, 2009, 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Bruce Fall heads out in search of migrants in the Minnesota River Valley.

Saturday, October 3, 10 and 31, 2009
Special Event – Gopher Nature Academy
Better than a baby sitter, your kids will learn about the real Goldy Gopher at this kid-friendly event held during Golden Gopher home football games.

Thursday, October 8, 2009, 7 p.m.
Film – Fresh: New Thinking About What We’re Eating
An upbeat and inspirational look at how to shift to a healthier, more humane and locally-based food system. Part of the Hungry Planet Food Film Series.

Thursday, October 15 and Friday, October 16, 2009, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Children’s Day Camp
K-1st grade – Food and Where it Comes From
Learn where our food comes from and the journey it takes to get to our kitchen table.
2nd-4th grade – Dead Leaves, Decomposers and Detritivores
Solve the mystery of the disappearing leaves and get your hands dirty digging for earthworms.

October 17, 2009 through May 9, 2010
Exhibit – Hungry Planet: What the World Eats
Grocery lists and dining tables of people around the globe captured in fascinating photos and hands-on displays that explore issues of food in the 21st century.

Tuesday, October 22, 2009, 7 p.m.
Café Scientifique – Feeding and Fueling the World
How can we feed nine billion people without destroying the planet? Discuss this issue with your friends, neighbors and university experts.

Thursday, October 22, 2009, 6 to 9 p.m.
Special Event – Hungry Planet Thursday Night Kick-Off
Sample a selection of snack foods from around the world, visit with representatives from local ethnic food markets, and tour the museum’s Hungry Planet: What the World Eats exhibit.

Thursday, October 29, 2009, 4 to 7 p.m.
Special Event – Hungry Planet Teacher Open House
A chance for K-12 teachers to explore the Bell Museum’s education offerings while touring the museum’s exciting new exhibit, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.

Sunday, November 1, 2009, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Family Event – Animal Haunts
Hear spine-tingling animal tales, take a flashlight tour of the museum’s dioramas, make a climbing spider puppet, and eat a crunchy bug–with your choice of dipping sauce, of course.

Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10 to 11 a.m.
Family Event – Squirrels and their Nuts
Two- and three-year-olds and their families will learn a squirrel song, explore the romping grounds of the museum’s resident squirrels, search for squirrel nests, and make a “squirrely” craft with pinecones.

Thursday, November 5, 2009, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Special Event – The Anthropology of Table Manners
William Beeman, University of Minnesota’s anthropology department chair, will take you through an exploration of the wonderful varieties of table etiquette throughout the world, and some of the reasons people are so sensitive about the way food is consumed.

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Exhibit Walkabout – People, Land and Food
Tour the Hungry Planet exhibit with University of Minnesota experts and explore the issues that shape what humans grow and gather to eat.

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 7 p.m.
Film – Black Gold: A Film About Coffee and Trade with associate sociology professor Rachel Schurman as moderator. Part of the Hungry Planet Food Film Series.

Thursday, November 19, 2009, 7 p.m.
Special Event – Locally Grown and Growing: An Evening with the Youth Farm and Market Project
Meet youth farmers from Twin Cities-based Youth Farm and Market Project, learn what a day on an urban youth farm is like, and how to make use of your own summer herbs and produce.

About this blog

The science is mostly climate change, life science, evolution, and science education. The science policy and politics is mostly about climate change and the evolution-creationism false controversy. The technology is mostly about Linux, regular normal person computer use, kids programming, and now and then, household items.

As an Anthropologist and Africanist, I often write about those topics as well.

Usually, I write about one or two topics for a while then shift to something different. This is not systematic, and has to do with context and external forces such as: Is this a presidential election year? Are we having an El Nino? Is there a fight going on somewhere about teaching creationism in a public school? Did I just get a cool new robot toy? Like that.

So, if you don't find the most recent few posts interesting, have a look at the topics below. But, of course, chances are you got here with a Google search and you'll never read this "about" thing.